Ang pagbabalik ng US sa Subic Bay ay nagpadala ng mensahe sa China matapos na guluhin ang Pilipinas

A private American firm has purchased a strategic shipyard on a former U.S. navy base in the Philippines by the South China Sea, U.S. and Filipino officials said, ending speculation about possible Chinese investment in the project.

This week the Filipino envoy to the United States thanked American officials for their efforts towards the agreement with New York-based private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, saying that U.S. involvement in the shipyard at Subic Bay would enhance the security of the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

“The completion of the Subic Bay shipyard will redound to benefits for the country, bring jobs to the local communities, increase economic activity, and at the same fortify our strategic security measures,” Ambassador Jose Manuel G. Romualdez said during a diplomatic reception held Tuesday at the Philippine Embassy to celebrate the agreement and Manila-Washington relations, according to a statement from the embassy on Thursday.

“Working with the United States on this project will help ensure that we are able to protect … interests not only for our country but the whole region,” he added.

Ely Ratner, the U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, said the acquisition was an “important example of U.S.-Philippine public-private partnership.”

“Great to see the completion of the acquisition of Hanjin shipyard in Subic Bay by a U.S.-based firm,” he tweeted Wednesday.

Neither Ratner nor Romualdez provided details about the agreement, although Reuters reported last month that Cerberus would acquire the shipyard for U.S. $300 million. On Friday, the investment firm did not immediately respond to a BenarNews call and email for comment.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the agreement with Cerberus was “the biggest public-private partnership in the 75-year history of Philippine-U.S. relations.”

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